Digital technology has completely
changed how we discover products, engage with brands and share our
experiences with others. Amazon revolutionized customer feedback
and product reviews. Social media transformed the way people share
word-of-mouth recommendations, connecting shoppers to off-the-cuff
opinions, compelling visual content and real-life experiences from peers
and influencers they follow and admire. Sure, TV, radio and print ads are
still part of the mix but they hardly carry the same weight as they did in
years passed. This statistic speaks volumes: 92% of consumers trust
peer recommendations over branded advertising. With the advent of
social media and digital technology, brands have a powerful new tool
at their disposal that brings word-of-mouth to the masses: usergenerated
content (UGC).